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020 - Verses 5-9 · Commentary on the Epistle to the Colossians

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty of commentary on the Epistle to the Colautians
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  Speaker 1: by John Calvin, translated by Reverend John Pringle. This LibriVox
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  Speaker 1: recordings in the public domain. Verses five through nine. Walk
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  Speaker 1: in wisdom towards them that are without redeeming the time.
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  Speaker 1: Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt,
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  Speaker 1: that ye may know how ye ought to answer every
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  Speaker 1: man all my state. Shall Techichus declare unto you, who
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  Speaker 1: is a beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow
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  Speaker 1: servant in the Lord whom I have sent unto you
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  Speaker 1: for the same purpose, that he might know your estate
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  Speaker 1: and comfort your hearts with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved
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  Speaker 1: brother who is one of you, They shall make known
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  Speaker 1: unto you all things which are done here. Five walk
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  Speaker 1: wisely He makes mention of those that are without in
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  Speaker 1: contrast with those that are of the household of faith
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  Speaker 1: Galatians six ten. For the churches like a city of
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  Speaker 1: which all believers are the inhabitants, connected with each other
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  Speaker 1: by a mutual relationship, while unbelievers are strangers. But why
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  Speaker 1: would he have regard to be had to them rather
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  Speaker 1: than to believers. There are three reasons. First, lest any
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  Speaker 1: stumbling block be put in the way of the blind
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  Speaker 1: Leviticus nineteen fourteen. For nothing is more ready to occur
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  Speaker 1: than that unbelievers are driven from bad to worse through
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  Speaker 1: our imprudence, and their minds are wounded, so that they
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  Speaker 1: hold religion more and more in abhorrence. Secondly, it is
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  Speaker 1: less any occasion may be given for detracting from the
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  Speaker 1: honour of the Gospel, and thus the name of Christ
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  Speaker 1: be exposed to derision, persons be rendered more hostile, and
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  Speaker 1: disturbances and persecutions be stirred up. Lastly, it is less
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  Speaker 1: while we are mingled together in partaking of food and
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  Speaker 1: on other occasions, we be defiled by their pollutions, and
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  Speaker 1: by little and little become profane to the same effect.
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  Speaker 1: Also is what follows redeeming the time. That is, because
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  Speaker 1: intercourse with them is dangerous. For in Ephesians five sixteen
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  Speaker 1: he assigns the reason because the days are evil quote
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  Speaker 1: amidst so great a corruption as prevails in the world,
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  Speaker 1: we must seize opportunities of doing good, and we must
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  Speaker 1: struggle against impediments end quote The more therefore, that our
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  Speaker 1: path is blocked up with occasions of offense, so much
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  Speaker 1: the more carefully must we take heed, lest our feet
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  Speaker 1: should stumble, or we should stop short through indolence six
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  Speaker 1: your speech. He requires suavity of speech, such as may
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  Speaker 1: allure the hearers by its profitableness. For he does not
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  Speaker 1: merely condemn communications that are openly wicked or impious, but
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  Speaker 1: also such as are worthless and idle. Hence he would
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  Speaker 1: have them seasoned with salt. Profane men have their seasonings
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  Speaker 1: of discourse, but he does not speak of them. Nay more,
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  Speaker 1: as witticisms are insinuating, and for the most part will
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  Speaker 1: cure favor, he indirectly prohibits believers from the practice and
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  Speaker 1: familiar use of them, for he reckons as tasteless. Everything
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  Speaker 1: that does not edify. The term grace is employed in
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  Speaker 1: the same sense so as to be opposed to talkativeness, taunts,
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  Speaker 1: and all sorts of trifles which are either injurious or vain.
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  Speaker 1: That ye may know how the man who has accustomed
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  Speaker 1: himself to caution in his communications will not fall into
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  Speaker 1: many absurdities into which talkative and prodding persons fall into
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  Speaker 1: from time to time, but by constant practice, will acquire
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  Speaker 1: for himself expertness in making proper and suitable replies. As
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  Speaker 1: on the other hand, it must necessarily happen that silly
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  Speaker 1: talkers expose themselves to derision whenever they are interrogated as
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  Speaker 1: to anything, and in this they pay the judge punishment
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  Speaker 1: of their silly talkativeness. Nor does he merely say what,
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  Speaker 1: but also how, and not to all indiscriminately, but to everyone,
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  Speaker 1: For this is not the least important part of prudence
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  Speaker 1: to have due regard to individuals. Seven my things. That
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  Speaker 1: the Colossians may know what concern he has for them,
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  Speaker 1: he confirms them by giving them, in a manner a pledge.
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  Speaker 1: For although he was in prison and was in danger
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  Speaker 1: of his life, making care for himself a secondary matter,
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  Speaker 1: he consults for their interests by sending taychakus to them.
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  Speaker 1: In this the singular zeal, no less than prudence of
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Apostle shines forth. For it is no small
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  Speaker 1: matter that while he is held prisoner and is in
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  Speaker 1: the most imminent danger on account of the Gospel, he
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  Speaker 1: nevertheless does not cease to employ himself in advancing the Gospel,
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  Speaker 1: and takes care of all the churches. Thus, the body
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  Speaker 1: indeed is under confinement, but the mind anxious to employ
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  Speaker 1: itself and everything good roam's far and wide. His prudence
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  Speaker 1: shows itself in his sending a fit and prudent person
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  Speaker 1: to confirm them as far as was necessary and withstand
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  Speaker 1: the craftiness of the false apostles, and farther in his
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  Speaker 1: retaining a paphorus beside himself until they should come to
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  Speaker 1: learn what and how great an agreement there was in
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  Speaker 1: doctrine among all true teachers, and might hear from Tychachis
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  Speaker 1: the same thing that they had previously learned from a paphorus.
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  Speaker 1: Let us carefully meditate on these examples, that they may
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  Speaker 1: stir us up to an imitation of the like pursuit.
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  Speaker 1: He adds Onissimus that the embassy may have the more weight.
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  Speaker 1: It is, however, uncertain who this Onesimus was, for it
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  Speaker 1: can scarcely be believed that this is the slave of
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  Speaker 1: the lemen. Inasmuch as the name of a thief and
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  Speaker 1: a fugitive would have been liable to reproach. He distinguishes
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  Speaker 1: both of them by honorable titles, that they may do
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  Speaker 1: the more good, especially to kikiS, who was to exercise
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  Speaker 1: the office of an instructor, and of Section twenty read
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  Speaker 1: by David Ronald